Grilled Cheeselers Scorch Hot Chauts for Championship Win

The Grilled Cheeselers have a well deserved celebration after they clinch the win against the Hot Chauts. The Grilled Cheeselers took down The Hot Chauts Tuesday, July 30, 2019 with a final score of 14 to 2, winning the Women's Softball Championship for this season. ALEXANDER WADLEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ellie Rappole of the Grilled Cheeselers takes off to first base after a clean hit against the Hot Chauts. The Grilled Cheeselers took down The Hot Chauts Tuesday, July 30, 2019 with a final score of 14 to 2, winning the Women's Softball Championship for this season. ALEXANDER WADLEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Co-Captains of the Grilled Cheeselers, from left, Julia Koron and Lily Nagle pose for pictures with their team sign and the final scoreboard. The Grilled Cheeselers took down The Hot Chauts Tuesday, July 30, 2019 with a final score of 14 to 2, winning the Women's Softball Championship for this season. ALEXANDER WADLEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Hot Chauts pose for a team portrait after their loss against the Grilled Cheeselers. The Grilled Cheeselers took down The Hot Chauts Tuesday, July 30, 2019 with a final score of 14 to 2, winning the Women's Softball Championship for this season. ALEXANDER WADLEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hot Chauts pitcher Brandy Ecklund receives the ball back after giving an invalid toss against the Grilled Cheeselers. The Grilled Cheeselers took down The Hot Chauts Tuesday, July 30, 2019 with a final score of 14 to 2, winning the Women's Softball Championship for this season. ALEXANDER WADLEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

From left, Ellie Rappole and Lydia Wells cheer on Madalyn Bowen (not shown) as she runs home, after a hit that scored The Grilled Cheeselers two points. The Grilled Cheeselers took down The Hot Chauts Tuesday, July 30, 2019 with a final score of 14 to 2, winning the Women's Softball Championship for this season. ALEXANDER WADLEY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

While the Hot Chauts blazed in the first inning, the Grilled Cheeselers turned up the heat to win the 2019 women’s softball championship.

In a final championship game to finish the season, the Hot Chauts faced off against the Grilled Cheeselers Tuesday at Sharpe Field. The two teams went head-to-head last year, with the Hot Chauts coming out on top. But the tables have turned this season, with the Grilled Cheeselers winning in a 14-2 blow-out.

Starting off the game with two runs, the Hot Chauts had a strong start, leaving the Grilled Cheeselers trailing with zero runs for the inning.

However, as the game continued, the Cheeselers locked in and scored run after run, making play after play to quickly pull ahead of the Hot Chauts. In the second inning alone, the team had two home-run hits and scored a total of nine runs for the team.

Despite being injured, Julia Koron, Grilled Cheeselers team captain, made a big play in the third inning to keep morale high, barely getting to first base while running with a leg brace.

After the game, Koron said that no matter what happened, the teams just wanted to have fun and play softball — winning isn’t a defining factor for them.

As the Hot Chauts played against the momentum of the Grilled Cheeselers’ communication and speed, it became obvious that the Cheeselers were headed for the championship. Hot Chauts batters hit balls directly back to the pitcher; Cheeseler passes were fast and coordinated from base to base; and the Hot Chauts couldn’t keep their flame lit.

The Grilled Cheeselers’ win came as a surprise to Mark Altschuler, commissioner of the Chautauqua softball league, who was in attendance for the game.

“No one expected this result,” Altschuler said. “We thought it would be a blow-out by the Hot Chauts, or at least a close win, but this is an amazing win for the Cheeselers this year. They deserve it.”

Even with the blow-out win, the new champions were respectful, shaking hands and giving hugs to Hot Chauts players, both teams thanking one another for coming out and playing.

Co-captain of the Grilled Cheeselers Lily Nagle summed up the game before getting back to celebrating with her team.

“It was really fun,” Nagle said. “It was the best game we have probably played in the last four years. We really had no errors; we came in hitting hard and played it through.”

Evan Dean is originally from West Orange, New Jersey, but now spends most of his time in St. Petersburg, Florida, studying at Eckerd College. Currently majoring in communications with a minor in journalism, he covers recreation for the Daily. An avid canoe voyager and Eagle Scout, Evan loves spending time outdoors and is ready for his first summer at Chautauqua.